Dogs and Crime Statistics
Jack MacLean (Secrets of a Superthief) reports the results of a survey of over 300 prison inmates who’d been convicted of burglary or other residential crimes.
Would dogs scare you away?
65% said that dogs of good size and unfriendly persuasion would scare them away
35% said no dog would scare them away.
Based on reassessment of responses, MacLean concludes that over 95% would indeed be scared away.
What would scare you away from a residence more than anything?
59% people in the house
32% almost any dog
9% replies from night-time only burglars, who’d be deterred by spot or flood lights lighting up a yard
In another study, the following question was asked of 589 convicted property offenders:
How effective is each of the following likely to be in preventing burglary, breaking and entering and grand theft?
0 - not effective 1 - somewhat effective 2 - very effective
Monitored burglar alarms 1.51
Electronic sensors in windows 1.35
Closed circuit TV cameras in stores 1.31
Private security patrols 1.14
DOG IN HOUSE 1.11
Weapons in home 1.10
Guardhouses protecting homes 1.07
Random police foot patrols 1.05
Better exterior lighting 1.02
“Neighborhood Watch” programs 0.98
Safes/strong boxes 0.83
Local burglar alarms 0.83
Deadbolt lock 0.79
Timed interior lights 0.78
Another expert on personal security, and four roles for dogs. In The Truth about Self-Defense, nationally-recognized expert on security and use-of-force Massad F. Ayoob makes these useful distinctions:
WATCHDOGS …[are] mobile, four-footed burglar alarm[s]. [They] bark insistently and steadily when an entry is attempted, and … [go] to the entry point to pinpoint it for you as … [they] yap.
PERSONAL PROTECTION DOGS are animals with advanced obedience training. On your command, they will bark and lunge at an aggressor, snapping at him without actually biting him. Also upon your command, they will immediately sit or lie and fall silent. Their training is oriented strictly toward a deterrent show of force; if your attacker persists, the animal will have to fall back on its natural protective instinct and bite him. A properly trained protection dog will also perform all the functions of a watchdog.
GUARD DOGS represent the deadliest level of canine training. These animals either walk with a sentry, or patrol alone in an enclosed space. Their function is to apprehend and neutralize any human intruder. They do not stop biting when the suspect stops resisting; they stop only when the human stops MOVING. They are likely to be trained to go for the throat or genitals. Guard dogs are trained to kill and maim. A guard dog is so vicious that it will usually obey only a single handler. … The only legitimate use of a guard dog is in wartime, or when guarding an area so sensitive that human intrusion could result in awesome public danger, such as a nuclear weapons facility.
To help with neighborhood and car security, you might need more than a watchdog. Ayoob argues that very few people need more than a protection dog. I assume that he’s right.
Profile of a protective family dog:
1) not a liability - not aggressive, not attack trained….
2) a loving and trustworthy member of your family
3) suspicious of strangers, yet willing to accept someone whom you say is okay
4) confident enough in his/her opinions to decide when a stranger is a threat, and to back up that threat with growling and possibly attacking if necessary.
5) willing to do anything to protect his/her beloved family.
This type of dog is produced through a combination of breeding and training. Although there are exceptions in every breed, the first step would be to decide on which of the protection breeds you want. The most common protection and law enforcement breeds today are the German Shepherd, Belgians Malinois and Dutch Shepherd. You want a dog that has the bred-in instinct to be suspicious and alert. You want a dog that is willing to be a part of your pack and accept you as pack leader. … most of what you are looking for is achieved by breeding, not by training. Picking the right dog is …[the essential first step]. You also need to make sure that you are always the ‘alpha’ [pack leader], the “loving dictator.”